Pentecost from the Coëtivy Hours

Dunois Master, attributed to

Folio with three-quarter page miniature from a book of hours attributed to the Dunois Master, written in Latin and French in a bastarda script, made in Paris and dated 1443–1445. It was commissioned by Prigent de Coëtivy (1399?–1450) on the occasion of his marriage to Marie de Rais (1429–1457). Removed from the bound volume between 1933 and 1960. Following the calendar, Gospel lessons and Passion story are the mixed Hours of the Virgin (8), Holy Cross (7) and Holy Spirit (7). Beneath rubrics in red, Terce of the Holy Spirit opens with the illuminated initial 'D' (Deus in adiutorium meum intende) painted with white, red, blue and gold ivy-leaf ornament. The miniature is painted in demi-grisaille with pigments and gold and depicts Pentecost, or the Descent of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, allowing the apostles to speak in tongues. On the right, a single figure sleeps, while the rest look up in amazement. On the left, the Virgin Mary reads from a codex and John the Evangelist writes in a scroll (Sp[iritu]s D[omi]ni replevit orbe[m] terrarum). Angels in the upper margin play trumpets and bells. The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan is painted in the lower right, an angel holds Jesus' purple robe. Angels play different instruments on the verso: harp, pipe, lute and viol. A group of figures praying replace the Baptism in the lower left.